1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a tray table assembly, and more specifically, to a tray table assembly that follows seat motion without sacrificing tray deployment height and traditional stowing movement.
2. Description of the Related Art
Passenger seats, such as those found on an aircraft, are commonly arranged in multiple rows of predetermined numbers of seats. While luxury class seats and rows of other class seats without a preceding row typically include tray tables that stow and rotate into position as desired from an armrest located alongside the seat, multiple rows of other class seats typically include tray tables that are attached to the seatbacks immediately forward of them. These conventional tray tables include a generally flat supporting surface pivotably connected to a pair of supporting arms that are pivotably connected to a seat frame farther operable for supporting seat back and seat bottom portions. The supporting arms are commonly attached about the sides of the seat frame so as not to interfere with the living space of either passenger, and to support the tray table about each of its ends. To deploy the tray table for use, the passenger typically releases a latching mechanism used to maintain the tray table in an upright, stowed position, and lowers the tray table into a generally horizontal functional position. To stow the tray table, the passenger vertically lifts the tray table rotating it into position up against its respective seat back and actuates the latching mechanism to hold it in position.
Conventional tray tables suffer several disadvantages including: their deployment height is affected by the degree of recline of the seat back to which they are attached; they are difficult to stow and activate the latching mechanism when their respective seat back is in a reclined position; they require the passenger to lift the tray vertically to stow; and, they do not always properly locate themselves into the latched position when the seat back is in a reclined position. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a tray table that overcomes these disadvantages.